New Delhi: As many as 2100 foreigners visited India for Tablighi activities since January 1 and went straight to its headquarters in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, reported PTI quoting a Home Ministry statement on Tuesday.
Then by March 21, approximately 824 of them dispersed in different parts of the country, while 216 stayed back at Nizamuddin Markaz, where several of them tested COVID-19 positive.
“As on March 21, there were about 1,746 people staying in Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz. Of these, 216 were foreigners and 1530 were Indians.
“Additionally, about 824 foreigners had been, as on March 21, doing Chilla activities in various parts of the country,” it said.
What is Chilla?
These are preaching tours. Tablighi Jamaat workers, both foreigners (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan) as well Indians, do Chilla across the country throughout the year.
All the foreign nationals report their arrival at Tablighi Markaz at Banglewali Mosque in Hazrat Nizamuddin, the statement said.
From here, they are detailed for Chilla activities to different parts of the country.
Chilla activities in all states are coordinated by district coordinators in different districts, who, in turn, in some states are supervised by ‘state Amirs’.